March 29, 2017

Spring has arrived, and the world around us is bursting with new life. The trees are budding, flowers are popping out of the ground, and the days are longer and warmer. Perhaps because nature performs its own ritual of spring cleaning and renewal or maybe it is simply tradition – whatever it is, spring cleaning just feels necessary and right.

But what if we took spring cleaning to a new level and added in elements of feng shui into our cleaning rituals? Feng shuiis the Chinese thought of how to spatially arrange your spaces in light of the flow of energy.

As you begin to spring clean, include these five elements of feng shui to make your home feel the best and most welcoming!

Open up and air it out. One of the best parts of spring cleaning is simple – opening your windows and letting in the fresh air to scrub out the clinging scents of winter. In feng shui, opening your windows facing east is the traditional practice for best energy flow. Welcome in the spring and freshen up your living space.

Photo by Colin Maynard, Unsplash.com

March 15, 2017

What you Need to Know

Checking, cupping, and gapping. These are words you never want to hear when talking about your hardwood floors. Hardwood floors are a natural product and are sensitive to humidity as it absorbs and loses moisture when it reacts to its surrounding environment. Keeping humidity levels in check will prevent potential damage to your floor. Here are images of hardwood floors that have been affected by some form of humidity:

Checking example:

Checking consist of fine hairline cracks running along the grain on the surface of the wood flooring.

February 23, 2017

Winter Blues?

I don’t know if anyone else is feeling it, but at this time in winter I start to anticipate the brilliant spring and summer seasons, dreaming of the sun to replenish my garden and also for it to extend our daylight. It’s hard not to allow your mind to wander to summer getaways.

This year, I took the opportunity while planning a summer getaway to stray from the usual hotel camaraderie and to instead introduce my parents to AirBnB. After some convincing, we found ourselves that Sunday morning scrolling through the many different escapes AirBnB had to offer.

(All photos shared are from the AirBnB website and link through to their page.)

Being Introduced to AirBnB

For those of you who have not had the opportunity to yet explore AirBnB, the website offers a modern day take on a bed and breakfast. Hosts can sign up to the site and after thorough identity checks, they lend out a room, or entire home/apartment to travelers.

January 31, 2017

Today you have so many choices for the flooring in your kitchen beyond adding traditional “sheet vinyl”. You can now choose from Sheet Vinyl, Luxury Vinyl, Laminate, Hardwood, Tile or Cork. Each offers its own unique benefits.

January 12, 2017

Today’s hardwood flooring styles now make it possible to live in harmony with your beautiful new hardwood floors and your beloved canine and feline companions. When shopping for hardwood flooring you don’t have to worry about the bubble above your head wondering about the havoc your pets can inflict on your hardwood floors. That’s because the finishes on hardwood flooring these days are tougher than ever. Combine this with a low gloss or matte finish as this minimizes the appearance of scratches and you can enjoy the beauty of hardwood floors in your home. Note that the higher the gloss level – the more the scratches will appear as the light reflects off of it.